Foie de veau à la Lyonnaise

Veal liver Lyonnaise-style: thin slices of liver, quickly fried and served with slowly caramelised onions, a splash of white wine vinegar and plenty of fresh parsley. A classic French bistro dish, perfect with mashed potatoes or simply boiled potatoes.

Serves: 4
Preparation: approx. 15 minutes
Cooking: approx. 25 minutes
Total time: approx. 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 600 g veal liver, sliced approx. 1 cm thick
• 3 large onions
• 60 g butter
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. sunflower oil)
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 2–3 tablespoons plain flour, for dusting
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Take the veal liver out of the fridge about 20 minutes before frying so it isn’t ice-cold. Remove any membranes and tough bits.
• Peel the onions and slice them into thin half-rings.
• Finely chop the parsley.
• Have the flour ready on a large plate, but only dust the liver just before frying.

Method

1. Heat butter for the onions
   Heat half the butter (30 g) in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat.
2. Add onions and salt
   Add the onions and a pinch of salt.
3. Let the onions caramelise
   Let the onions caramelise over 15–20 minutes until soft and light to golden brown. Stir regularly so they don’t stick or burn. The onions should be soft, sweet and well coloured.
4. Keep the onions warm
   Spoon the onions out of the pan onto a plate and keep warm.
5. Heat oil and butter for the liver
   Increase the heat to medium-high to high. Add the oil and the remaining butter (30 g) to the same pan.
6. Dust the liver with flour
   Pat the veal liver slices dry again with kitchen paper just before frying. Lightly dust them with flour and shake off the excess.
7. Fry the liver in the pan
   Place the liver slices in the hot pan, preferably in a single layer. Fry in two batches if the pan would otherwise be too full.
8. Cook the liver briefly on each side
   Cook the liver for 1½–2 minutes per side, until the outside is nicely coloured and the inside is still lightly pink.
9. Let the liver rest briefly
   Place the liver slices on warmed plates or on a warm serving platter and season immediately with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover loosely with aluminium foil and let rest briefly.
10. Return the onions to the pan
    Reduce the heat back to medium. Return the caramelised onions to the pan with the remaining cooking fat.
11. Deglaze with white wine vinegar
    Deglaze with the white wine vinegar and stir well so the browned bits release from the base and mix with the onions.
12. Let the onions simmer gently
    Let it simmer gently for 1–2 minutes, until the vinegar has reduced slightly and the onions are glossy.
13. Divide the liver among the plates
    Divide the veal liver slices among the plates.
14. Spoon over the onion sauce
    Spoon the onion sauce over and around the liver.
15. Sprinkle with parsley
    Just before serving, sprinkle generously with the finely chopped parsley.
16. Serve the dish
    Serve the foie de veau à la Lyonnaise with mashed potatoes, crispy chips or simply boiled potatoes. A light red wine from Beaujolais or another fresh, not too heavy red wine pairs excellently with this.